Here’s where Ohio State can cause issues for Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl

The Ohio State football team has its work cut out for it against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. There’s one area that could be the difference.

While Vegas odds have Clemson as the favorite over a higher seeded and higher ranked Ohio State squad, it may just play to the advantage of the Buckeyes to play the underdog role in a game where virtually everyone is picking the Tigers.

It’s interesting how the narrative has changed from just one half of football even though everyone was on the OSU train during the regular season as the most complete and dominant team. Now, it must embrace the role of being slighted and find those advantages to pull one off against the defending national champions.

But here’s the deal. This will be a game in which the talent is equal. That means winning will come down to execution of advantages you have over other teams, and for Ohio State, the one thing that could cause issues for the  Clemson attack, is its ability to get to the quarterback.

It is clear that both teams have electric offenses and stout defenses, but with what we’ve seen, there’s a good chance we see some decent scoring in the desert night. So, a play here and a game changing play there could mean the difference between moving on to New Orleans vs. turning the page to the early signing period in recruiting.

If you’re looking for that one area that can change the game, it’s on the defensive line for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is leading the country in sacks with an impressive 51 sacks in thirteen games. While everyone knows that Chase Young has racked up a plethora of awards and leads the country in sacks with a total of 16.5, you can bet Clemson will look to limit him by double and triple teaming him. That’s okay. His dominance should allow for the emergence of other players up front.

That’s where Zach Harrison, BB Landers, Davon Hamilton, Jashon Cornell and gang come in. If you look at the film in the games against The Team Up North and Wisconsin you could say that teams were able to limit Chase Young, but that didn’t stop others from getting in on the act.

While it is easy to forget about the rest of the defensive line with such a big name as Chase Young, it is certainly important to recognize the others who have been such a big factor in the trenches. It may seem like everyone else’s stats seem quite small compared to Chase Young, but let’s realize that they all feed off each other.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is a difference-making talent at quarterback. In order to win this one, Ohio State has to disrupt the flow of the passing game. The Buckeyes are more equipped to do that than any other team in the College Football Playoff.